This invention relates to a novel device for feeding nesting insects. More particularly, it relates to a device for holding a palatable syrup in proximity to a hive so that it may safely be accessed by bees within the hive. It further relates to a feeding device for bees which may be conveniently refilled without opening the hive.
Bees are commonly cultivated in hives to obtain honey and to pollinate crops. The architecture of a common beehive will be described here. In the lower part of the hive is the brood chamber. The brood chamber is a rectangular box, or hive body, filled with frames. These frames are hung inside the brood chamber. Each frame is made from a rigid rectangular support for a thin sheet of beeswax with a hexagonal pattern pressed into it, or for a plastic sheet coated with a thin layer of wax. This sheet serves as a foundation on which the bees will build their comb. The brood chamber serves as a housing for the queen bee and her colony. The queen bee lays eggs in the cells of the comb in the brood chamber. An opening in the bottom of the brood chamber allows the worker bees to leave the hive.
The top of the brood chamber is covered with a grill with bars spaced just far enough apart that worker bees, but not queen bees, can pass therethrough. This grill, known as a queen excluder, prevents the queen bee from leaving the brood chamber. A second hive body filled with frames is positioned above the brood chamber. The worker bees will construct comb on the frames in the second hive body. Since the queen excluder prevents the queen from entering this second hive body to lay eggs, the cells of the comb in the second hive body will be used by the worker bees to store honey. When the comb in this second hive body is full of honey, the second hive body may be removed and replaced with new hive body containing a new set of frames.
During months when bees are active but the plants, which serve as their source of food, are not producing nectar or flowering, the bees in the hive feed on the honey therein. Generally, this occurs during fall and winter. As a result, bee keepers normally supply the bees with an alternate food source so they will not consume honey from the hive, and to prevent bee starvation from a lack of stored honey in the hive. This has involved making appropriate feeding solutions, such as sugar solutions or syrup, available to the bees. While feeding sugar solution or syrup to bees prevents them from starving, the bee keepers are frequently forced to develop awkward devices to feed the bees. Many of these devices have significant disadvantages, such as a lack of insulation, which allows a significant amount of heat to be lost from the hive. In cooler climates, this loss of heat is important because it significantly affects bee productivity. Bees typically must have a thoracic temperature of approximately 85xc2x0 F. to sustain flight. If the hive temperature falls significantly below this level, the bees will be unable to fly from the hive to feed from plants. As a result, honey production declines and they will be unable to fulfill their role in plant pollination. Additionally, if the hive temperature drops below 64xc2x0 F., honey bees cluster, packing together into a carefully structured, compact ball. This allows the bees to survive cold weather, but reduces honey production. Thus, for maximum honey productivity, it is important that the bee feeder on the hive should not allow the hive temperature to drop significantly.
Several devices for feeding bees have been proposed. Kindall, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,581, discloses a container for a liquid bee syrup which takes the form of a container with a single opening. The opening is closed with a cover having holes to allow bees within a hive to access the syrup. The container is placed on top of a hive, with the covered opening directed downwardly into the hive. The container is refilled by removing the feeder from the hive and refilling the container through the opening. This has the disadvantage that the bees inside the hive are exposed to the outside environment while refilling the feeder. In colder weather, this can result in a dramatic reduction in hive temperature. Additionally, the device must be removed from the hive in order to refill it, thereby increasing the likelihood of disturbing the hive and agitating the bees. This can cause the bees to sting the beekeeper.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,329, issued to Kozlowwicz, shows a bee feeder comprising a molded plastic receptacle adapted to be mounted on top of a hive body. The receptacle includes side walls cooperatively defining a rectangular shape and a bottom wall that extends between the side walls to define an upwardly opening trough for receiving liquid feed. A hollow projection with an upwardly-directed opening extends from the bottom wall within the interior of the receptacle, allowing bees to pass through the bottom wall of the feeder. The bees are therefore able to pass back and forth from the hive to the feeder. A grid covers the projection opening in a spaced relationship, extending downwardly to the bottom wall in a spaced relationship to the projection. The bees gain access to the feed by crawling between the grid and the projection to the feed within the trough. The feeder has the disadvantages that the trough is open to the air, allowing contaminants to enter the feed. Also, the hollow projection in the feeder includes an opening directly into the hive. This provides a route for heat to be lost from the hive through the feeder.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,056,783, issued to Enfelder, shows a bee feeder comprising a box with a top opening covered with a sliding cover, allowing the feeder to be filled with solid sugar grains. The box is positioned over an opening in the top of a hive, and a screen at the bottom of the box retains the sugar in the box, while allowing the bees to reach the sugar. The box is not intended to contain liquid food; in fact, to prevent liquid from building up in the hive, a port is provided in the top of the box through which liquid may be drained. This process has two disadvantages: first, food may be spilled through the port during the drainage process, resulting in waste of the bee food; and second, each time the feeder is drained, the feeder must be removed from the hive. This exposes the bees inside the hive to the outside environment, resulting in potential cooling of the hive. Further, removal of the feeder may disturb the hive, resulting in a greater likelihood of the bee keeper being stung.
There is currently an unmet need for a safer bee feeder that allows the beekeeper to conveniently refill the feeder without significant risk of agitating the bees within the hive.
Further, there is a need for a bee feeder that does not expose the interior of the hive to extreme environmental changes.
The current invention provides an improved bee feeder, which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.
In light of the present need for an improved bee feeder, a brief summary of the present invention is presented. Some simplifications and omission may be made in the following summary, which is intended to highlight and introduce some aspects of the present invention, but not to limit its scope. Detailed descriptions of a preferred exemplary embodiment adequate to allow those of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention concepts will follow in later sections.
The current invention provides a device for feeding bees nesting in an artificial hive structure. The device holds a quantity of liquid food for bees, without allowing the food to drip into the hive and drown the bees. The device can be conveniently filled and refilled with minimal risk of stings to the beekeeper, without opening the hive. Additionally, the device may be thermally insulated to prevent loss of heat through the feeder.
More particularly, the inventive device for feeding bees is constructed with a rigid heat-absorptive housing or hive body. Inside the housing is a chamber for holding a supply of viscous syrup which is palatable to bees. The chamber has a bottom surface with a plurality of holes passing therethrough. These holes are large enough to allow a bee to access the viscous syrup through the holes, but small enough to prevent the viscous syrup from dripping therethrough. An access port in said housing allows the viscous syrup to be poured into the chamber. A means for mounting said housing on top of a beehive is also provided.
The current invention provides an improved bee feeding device having a simple construction which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art. The new feeder is not firmly mounted to the bee hive. The feeder may be refilled without removing the feeder from the hive or exposing the hive to the outside environment.